My Lover Ran Away

Chapter 1

The high sky was dark enough that it wouldn’t have been surprising if thick snowflakes had started falling at any moment.

The winter night sky, devoid of the moon and stars, painted the already dark alleyways even blacker.

“Ha…”

A frustrated breath escaped from Seoyeon’s lips, forming a white cloud in the cold air. The piercing wind ruthlessly lashed against her face.

On a narrow road barely wide enough for a single car, Seoyeon struggled to climb the steep path while holding onto her swollen belly.

Whenever she had climbed this hill before, her younger sibling Haneul had always been by her side, making it less difficult.

But now, Haneul lay unconscious in a hospital bed.

‘Haneul, no!’

The accident happened in an instant. A truck coming down the slope had struck Haneul.

The angelic child, who had been waving both arms with a bright smile, was flung into the air like a ball.

“Ha…”

They had been abandoned at an orphanage together, but she had believed that Haneul had been adopted into a good home.

When she learned that wasn’t the case, she had done everything to get her back—only for this sudden tragedy to strike.

She had left that man, hoping at the very least to live quietly with her sibling.

‘Why do you think Taeyoung never talked about his family and claimed to be an ordinary person? That’s exactly what you are—just ordinary.’

Seoyeon recalled the face of Moon Jung, the mistress of Myungdo Construction, who had spoken to her with a look of disdain.

The man she had loved was the second son and heir of Myungdo Construction.

‘Seoyeon, your sister’s adoptive parents are terrifying. No matter how many reports of domestic violence were made, not once was there an investigation. If you just leave Taeyoung, I’ll make sure you can live with your sister for the rest of your life. Surely, you wouldn’t abandon your sister, who is suffering abuse, just for a man?’

Her whole body trembled at the mention of her sister.

‘Taeyoung needs a strong family behind him. What can you offer him? As soon as Taeyoung returns to Korea, we’ll announce his arranged marriage. If you’re still around, my future daughter-in-law will be hurt.’

He had never once told her about his family, even when the whole world was talking about his arranged marriage.

She never received an explanation.

Before she could even grieve, she realized she was only an obstacle to his future. With her heart torn apart, she had no choice but to leave him.

Seoyeon stopped walking up the hill and looked up at the sky. Tears threatened to spill over.

At that moment, the baby sleeping inside her moved as if spinning.

“…”

Seoyeon slipped her hand inside her coat and gently stroked her swollen belly.

“That’s right. I have our baby. Another person I must protect. Our little angel…”

Before she knew it, tears trickled down the corners of her eyes.

“No crying. Crying won’t solve anything.”

Seoyeon wiped her tear-streaked cheeks with her palms.

‘I found someone else. And I slept with him. So let’s break up.’

Terrified by everything his mother had done and said, she had blurted out that absurd lie.

And even after all this time had passed, she still found herself dwelling on the past.

She felt utterly pathetic.

A part of her even wondered if her selfishness had caused the accident that befell her sister, just when they had finally reunited.

“Enough… Enough. Think about something else.”

Seoyeon forced herself to focus on what she needed to do next.

“First, I need to contact Wonho.”

Wonho was a friend from the orphanage.

Since the house she lived in was under his name, she had to call him to withdraw the deposit and secure cash for Haneul’s hospital bills.

After using up the meager deposit, she would have nowhere to go. She needed to look into facilities for single mothers. If Haneul regained consciousness by then, she had to figure out how they could live together.

Exhausted by all these thoughts, she finally arrived home.

A rundown villa complex, a twenty-minute walk uphill from the bus stop. A house situated below the first-floor entrance, requiring her to descend a few steps to reach it. This was where Seoyeon and Haneul lived together.

Since the sensor light didn’t turn on, she had to use the dim glow from a distant streetlamp to find the keyhole. She inserted the key, turned it, and stepped inside.

Haneul had been in the hospital for three days since the accident. She had only come home briefly to wash up during that time, leaving the house as cold as the outdoors.

She turned on the small kitchen light, switched on the only electric blanket, and lay down.

“I need to call Wonho…”

Her phone battery was low. She had to charge it and eat something.

“No matter what, I have to eat…”

If she starved, the baby inside her would starve too. She had to stay strong.

But as the warmth from the electric blanket seeped in, her eyelids grew heavier.

Seoyeon burrowed into the blanket, planning to rest just for a little while.

Ding-dong—

Just as she was about to fall asleep, the doorbell rang.

Ding-dong— Ding-dong—

Even when she ignored it, the persistent ringing didn’t stop.

BANG BANG BANG! BANG BANG! BANG BANG!

The visitor, no longer satisfied with just ringing the bell, pounded on the door as if they had no patience left.

“Ugh, Choi Wonho, seriously…”

The only person who would visit was her orphanage friend, Choi Wonho.

Grumbling, Seoyeon opened the door.

She was about to scold him for being so loud when she froze at the sight of the expensive shoes in the doorway.

The only light came from a distant streetlamp and the dim glow from inside her home.

But the refined silhouette of the luxurious shoes, the perfectly tailored pants of a designer suit, the stylish long coat, and the rich cologne that filled her nose told her immediately who the man standing before her was.

Kwon Taeyoung.

The man she had run away from—whom she had just been thinking about moments ago.

Seoyeon’s pupils trembled. Before she could even lift her gaze to meet his eyes, his voice, colder than the winter wind, pierced through the air.

“What? Are you disappointed because I’m not the person you were expecting?”

She questioned whether this was reality or a dream.

“Well, it wouldn’t make sense for you to be happy to see me.”

Her heart plummeted as she heard Taeyoung’s voice.

“How did you find me…”

Unable to meet his gaze, she fixated on a random spot near the doorway. Her voice trembled so badly she barely recognized it.

Creak—

The rusty iron door groaned as it opened, and his shoes stepped inside.

With a loud bang, the door shut behind him. As if it were second nature, Taeyoung locked it.

Seoyeon instinctively took two steps back before finally looking up at him.

Her shocked eyes brimmed with tears, but unlike her, he was smiling.

His sharp gaze trailed down to her swollen belly.

Her shoulders tensed.

“I told you, no matter where you go, I’ll find you.”

“…”

“You wouldn’t have forgotten, right? That’s what I said the day you broke up with me.”

His large hand cupped her cheek.

Seoyeon couldn’t move, locked in his stare.

She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she couldn’t.

After everything she had done to betray him. After the way she had left him.

She clenched her fists. There was no turning back.

“We already broke up. Why remember any of that?”

Hearing her firm words, Taeyoung let out a scoffing laugh.

“Fine. If that’s how you want to play it, I’ll make you remember.”

His lips, cold from the winter air, crashed down onto hers.